How To Clean The Kitchen Hood From Fat?

Cleaning in the kitchen can bring to the white heat even the most scrupulous and responsible hostess. And if you clean the stove, microwave, and even the oven, although difficult, but quite realistic, then only experienced and incredibly patient women can clean the Kitchen hood. Droplets of fat and soot settle on it every day, and the dust filtered from the air completes the picture, laying down an unwashable crust on the filter and the inner surface of the body. The situation is aggravated by the fact that it is impossible to daily wash away what has settled on the grate – in extreme cases, such a deep cleaning is done once a month and a half, and during this time the pollution becomes incredibly persistent. However, nothing is impossible: with our life hacking, you will be able to clean even the oldest dirt from the kitchen hood at home, without spending half a day of incredible effort.

5 reasons not to postpone washing the Kitchen hood

No matter how much you want to avoid time-consuming and long-term cleaning, completely eliminate it from the list of mandatory measures to restore cleanliness in the kitchen will not work – sooner or later you will have to take up the brush and detergent. There are many reasons for this:

Dirt is not going anywhere by itself. Moreover, the settled fat freezes over time, and it is much more difficult to wash it off than fresh. Therefore, postponing the washing of the hood, you only complicate your work.

If time does not clear the filter mesh from grease and soot, over time it will no longer cope with its direct responsibilities. As a result, instead of fresh and clean air in the kitchen, you will have constant heat and high humidity due to the steam produced during cooking.

Sooner or later, clogged exhaust hood completely fails due to regular overheating, and the usual washing, in this case, cannot do – you need at least expensive repair and possibly complete replacement of equipment. A rather expensive way to avoid cleaning, isn’t it?

Fat accumulated on the grill can melt from the heat of the stove and accidentally drip onto the fire, which can eventually cause a fire.

In the end, a dirty Kitchen hood – a sign of a sloppy hostess. Of course, you can limit yourself to wiping the outer surface, but for a long time, such a solution will not exactly save – the fat hanging from the hood grid will ruin even the most stylish interior.

So feel free to take a rag in your hands – with our advice, cleaning the kitchen hood will turn into an easy task!

How to start cleaning the Kitchen hood?

The first thing to do before you start cleaning is to carefully study the instructions that came with your hood. If it has been lost for a long time, nothing terrible – all the data can be easily found on the Internet, by specifying the model and manufacturer of the equipment in the search box. You should not consider this recommendation superfluous or unnecessary, hoping to figure it out: if you have never disassembled the hood, such cleaning may result in the device breaking without a restoration.

Some models are equipped with filters that are not designed for cleaning – they need to be changed as they become dirty. Also in the manual, you will find the features of fixing the mesh and possible restrictions on the use of household chemicals – some types of materials are simply not designed for washing in the dishwasher or the effects of chemicals included in detergents. In this case, you have to do with folk remedies and clean the hood manually.

Preparatory work

Before you do the washing of the hood, you have to disassemble it – otherwise, you will not be able to get to the filter, and washing will be reduced to the classic body rubbing from grease and soot. Let’s look at the most common algorithm of actions:

The first and mandatory condition – disconnect the hood from the mains. Of course, most modern models have reliable insulation, but you should not risk it.

Next, you need to remove the outer cover of the device. To do this, find the latches (they are usually located on both sides), gently loosen them, holding the lid itself, and then pull it out of the slots.

After that, you can pull out the external filter, which needs the most thorough washing.

The pipe that connects the outlet with the hood, also needs to be thoroughly cleaned of grease, not only outside but also inside. Some owners manage to change the corrugation themselves during each general cleaning, but not every model of kitchen equipment provides for the possibility of such manipulation, and not everyone can do it – after all, the process requires some skill. Therefore, we must assume that the pipe will still have to be removed for further cleaning.

At the end of the disassembly, be sure to remove the air filter – the amount of pollution that has settled on this grid in just a month will impress even the most experienced hostess.

The hood body, unfortunately, cannot be removed – it will have to be washed right above the stove. Moreover, the inner surface needs detailed cleaning no less than the outer one.

You should not take this algorithm as the only correct one – each model has its own nuances of assembly and, accordingly, disassembly. However, for most kitchen hoods, the principle of action will be the same. In more detail, you can clarify the nuances of parsing the case and removing the filter in the instructions for your equipment.

How to wash the kitchen hood?

The most difficult thing you have to do is wash the grease off the filter screen. The fine-meshed surface, in principle, is cleaned quite uneasy, and if we add to this the resistance of dried fat, the task completely goes over to the category of the super complex. On the shelves of hardware stores you can find a lot of special chemicals to remove any kind of pollution, but before moving on to “heavy artillery,” let’s recall the “grandmother’s” methods, which are distinguished not only by excellent efficiency but also by complete environmental friendliness.

TOP-5 of the national means for cleaning the lattice

Laundry soap. Immediately make a reservation: this is not about the modern laundry soap, which has softeners and various fragrances, but about its “Soviet” counterpart, which can still be found on the shelves of state stores. Gray-brown briquettes with plain lettering of 72% due to the high content of fatty acids break down dirt molecules quickly and efficiently. To do this, you will have to rub about half of a normal piece on a coarse grater, then dissolve the soapy crumb in 2-3 liters of boiling water. Stir the solution until completely homogeneous, and then immerse the mesh there for about 10-15 minutes. After that, it will be enough to rub the mesh with the hard side of a sponge or a special brush so that all adhered fat lags behind.

Salt. Regular saline can also help get rid of old mud. This requires about half a glass of large non-iodized salt and a liter of water. Mix the ingredients and lightly heat on the stove so that the salt is completely dissolved. However, make sure that the solution does not boil, otherwise, its effectiveness will decrease. After cooking, put the filter and other removable small parts of the hood into the solution and leave for a couple of hours to salt all the fat deposits. Clear the remaining manually is not difficult!

Lemon. Freshly squeezed fresh juice or a slice of this citrus fruit is especially effective when washing fresh contaminants, however, with due effort, you can wipe off long-dried fat with lemon. Just moisten a cotton pad in lemon juice or cut the fruit into large circles to rub the trellised surface of the hood more conveniently. After 15 minutes, when the natural lemon acid is absorbed into the dried dirt and soften it, it will be enough to wipe the surface with a napkin. From the first time, it is not always possible to clean the filter in this way, so the procedure sometimes has to be repeated twice or even three times.

Acetic essence. In fact, concentrated vinegar acts in the same way as lemon – softens frozen fat for further removal. True, the essence is much more aggressive, so the exposure time should be reduced to 5-7 minutes. After this, it is necessary not only to thoroughly wash all the elements with soap suds but also rinse them several times under running water.

Important! Do not forget to wear thick rubber gloves before attempting to clean the hood in this way, otherwise, burns may remain on your hands!

Soda + ammonia. This tool is really “killer” for all types of pollution. Boil approximately 3-4 liters of water (the volume is calculated so that there is enough liquid to immerse all removable parts of the hood). Reducing the fire on the stove, gradually pour half a glass of soda into the boiling water, stirring the solution constantly. Immerse the grease filter and boil it for 3-5 minutes, then remove the pan from the stove and leave to cool with the soaking parts of the kitchen hood. Usually, this is enough to clean the fresh fat drops, but in the most difficult cases after exposure to soda, another cleansing “bath” is recommended – with ammonia. Mix half a glass of solution with 3 liters of boiling water, immerse the filters already soaked in soda, and wait 10-15 minutes depending on the intensity of contamination. The filter grille will shine like new!

Household chemicals review

If folk remedies did not help to cope with pollution, it is necessary to resort to the help of aggressive cleaning products. Do not try to scrub the fat with a powder or metal sponge – first, you will rub your fingers to the knuckles, and second, damage the surface of the hood. The main goal is to dissolve or at least soften the adhering crust of dirt. Try soaking the grate in oven cleaners – they are most effective with respect to fats.

If this was not enough, you will have to turn to emergency measures. Means for cleaning pipes from blockages dissolve any dirt in a matter of minutes. True, it is necessary to act very quickly, otherwise, such an aggressive alkali will damage the metal surface. Do not abuse this method – this can be done from the force 1-2 times during the whole operation time, otherwise, the filter will quickly become unusable due to the effects of chemistry. In addition, if you carry out cleaning regularly, this simply will not be necessary.